What qualification will I achieve?
BTEC Extended Diploma in Public Services (Level 3)
Students aged 16 to 18 who do not already have GCSE qualifications in maths and/or English at grades 4 - 9 will take qualifications in English and/or maths as part of their vocational study programme - this is a government requirement.
How is my course assessed?
Assessment is based on continuous appraisal of performance in the various components. Course work execution, group work contribution and fulfilment of practical assignments. You will be assessed through a combination of theory and practical work - e.g. leadership, teamwork skills and drills. This is a two-year programme and Extended Diploma courses have three achievement points. You will work towards the Subsidiary Diploma qualification in the first year of the course and will have the opportunity to work towards either the Diploma or the Extended Diploma in the second year.
How many UCAS points will I achieve on this course?
Our level 3 vocational courses qualify for UCAS tariff points to apply for university in the same way as A-Levels. This course is an extended diploma which is delivered over two years and you could achieve up to 168 UCAS points (which is equivalent to three A* grades at A-Level).
BTEC extended diplomas are graded as a pass, merit, distinction or distinction star (with distinction star being the highest grade) with the overall grade being a combination of three grades which represent an aggregation of your performance on mandatory and optional units on the course.
The following table gives some examples on the amount of UCAS points you can achieve on a BTEC extended diploma:
BTEC grade |
UCAS Points |
DDD* |
168 |
DDD |
160 |
D*DD |
152 |
DDD |
144 |
DDM |
128 |
DMM |
112 |
MMM |
96 |
MMP |
80 |
MMP |
64 |
PPP |
48 |
Depending on your circumstances, you may study a smaller qualification, such as a subsidiary diploma (for example, if you only complete one year) or general diploma which may carry less UCAS tariff points.
You can find more details and examples on the UCAS tariff points calculator here.